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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Wasted day -- not

I didn't exactly waste the day. Yesterday, I mean. I might have wasted today. Eh, actually, I made a bunch of possible covers for Ghosts, signed up for CreateSpace, submitted my files -- okay, I didn't waste today either.

But yesterday, the day I might have wasted by making Ghosts free on Amazon without doing anything to tell anyone that it was free? Not wasted.

12,286.

That's how many people downloaded Ghosts yesterday.

I have no idea why. Perhaps a $4.99 book looks like a better value and more worth downloading than a less expensive book? (That was part of my theory.) Perhaps my reviews have hit some point of critical mass where people actually believe them? Perhaps my blurb -- which is a little more typical although still not exactly revealing -- gives enough information to make readers feel safe in what they're getting? Honestly, I have no idea.

But twelve thousand people will get to meet Akira and Zane in the next few weeks, if they remember and if they feel so inclined and if they actually are readers and not just downloaders of every free text out there, and that's...well, exciting and scary and exciting again. It's sort of like having twelve thousand potential English teachers grading your work and it's also sort of like having twelve thousand potential new friends. I'm quite sure that if I ever do have a legitimately best-selling book, not just a temporarily best-giving-away book, chatting with readers will become my drug of choice.

Anyway, I got my first one-star review today, which was initially anguishing and then almost a relief. Whew, I got that over with. But the reviewer was just mad about the price changing at the moment between reading the Look Inside (free) and hitting download (4.99) and I totally sympathize with that. I think actually that made it even better -- she didn't actually hate the book, she was just mad. I hope that the experience will make me a little tougher for when the next one-star review shows up.

4 comments:

I'm one of the 12k down loaders and I read the blurb and became hooked! Yesterday, I downloaded 6 free books and yours gained top spot. You see, I love stories with ghosts. They are VERY difficult to find. Paranormal genre used to be the place to go. No more! Vampires, werewolfs, blood and gore live there. And don't get me going on erotica. I'm so tired of that. Sarah, your book was perfect. I loved reading it. Thanks or writing it. I'm anxious to devour the next story!

Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed it! You've made my morning. :)

I know exactly what you mean about the paranormal genre, too: I am really sick of stories about vampires. They're just overgrown mosquitoes. What's fun in that? And why did they get to steal the paranormal genre when really they're supernatural? They need a supernatural genre of their own.

Two cheers from the house of mystery! ... But Sarah, only you would find the idea of 12K English teachers grading your work to be exciting. You crack me up, woman. And we love that Ghosts caught so many people's fancy.

Ghosts got a review yesterday that was titled something like "Finally, an e-book that's been edited" and I felt a strong desire to confess upon the spot and admit that actually, it wasn't. Except by me. Although I guess that counts. Sort of?

Hey, I might be going to GeekGirlCon in Seattle in August. If there's any chance of you making a summertime weekend road trip, you should come, too.

The Spirits of Christmas

Available Now

The Spirits of Christmas

Akira's plans are simple: write wedding invitations, bake Christmas cookies, and eat red meat. (The last surprises her, too.) But when Rose, the ghost who haunts her house, asks for a favor, Akira can't say no. Little does she realize that although she's faced danger before, even death, a toddler who doesn't like peanut-butter-and-jelly might be her worst nightmare.

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About Me

Sarah Wynde, author of A Gift of Ghosts and A Gift of Thought, loves sky-diving, wind-surfing, tight-rope walking and Jack Russell terriers. Or she would, if she wasn't the imaginary construct of a slightly agoraphobic, high-anxiety, former editor, grad school dropout who does love Jack Russell terriers but would never dream of doing any of those other things.